⚙ Co.Labs ⚙ code + community: Three-D modeling revolutionized the engineering world, allowing designers to view digital mockups of their vehicles (wheeled, waterborne, or aerodynamic) from any angle instead of a handful of perspective drawings--but engineers still need to create scaled-down prototypes to test for wind, friction, and other real-world conditions--a pricey process. But what if you didn’t need models at all? Researchers at the University of Bristol are boldly claiming that their new algorithmic technique will do away with physical prototypes entirely.
3 comments:
Whenever we, as a society, purchase new gadgets, we never think about the work that goes into designing all of those gadgets. Things need to be prototyped in order to determine if they can stand up to real-world situations. Now step it up to the next level. Imagine buying a car that hasn't been prototyped. Who knows if that windshield can withstand a hail storm if it's never been tested? It seems like prototyping is something that will always need to be a part of the equation. However, it seems like it's about time that a computer program and cut down on the amount of prototyping that needs to be done. If a computer program can find issues that used to be found via physical testing, then it can drastically reduce the amount of physical prototypes that need to be made. I'm surprised it has taken this long to get a computer program to be able to do a lot of these real-world application tests.
The level of math and number of permutations that can be tested with this algorithm is astounding. I am not at all surprised that we have taken so long to be able to test this complexity of situations. This technology takes what already exists in Autodesk Inventor and Solidworks to the next level. Being able to computer model materials and geometry in tandem and analyze the stresses exerted by those forces will revolutionize many of the advanced prototyping shops. I would worry about doing these CAD models to analyze the product only because unless the parts are computer machined and assembled I worry about the computer program not being able to correctly assess the manufacturing process defects. This also means that we need to bump up quality control to make sure that the processes that could weaken the materials do not degrade joints or surfaces enough to cause failure.
For whatever reason (probably too many science fiction movies) I had always thought that 3D digital modeling had already been in use, though I suppose that it was, just not to the extent or the accuracy that it can be now. These advancements are definitely amazing achievements, but I don't believe that it can fully replace actual, physical models any time soon. That would require a LOT of testing and a lot of faith in the programs, which i expect will come with time and rials. All the same, I think that nothing will be able to exactly replicate and completely replace the accuracy of a physical model.
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